The present invention relates to a karaoke apparatus having a tone generator for generating musical tones of a karaoke song based on a song data file. More specifically, the invention relates to the karaoke apparatus of a type having a plurality of storages of different purposes for storing song data files so as to functionally expand a system of the karaoke apparatus.
Various types are developed in the karaoke apparatus which sounds a karaoke song through a loudspeaker while displaying background pictures and lyric words on a monitor. For example, a musical tone reproduction type of the karaoke apparatus has a permanent storage medium such as an optic momory disk which permanently stores a performance data and a background picture data of all entry songs. The permanent storage medium is accessed in response to a request for reading out a data of a requested entry song to present a desired karaoke a performance.
On the other hand, recently a musical tone synthesis type of the karaoke apparatus is developed, which has a rewriteable or reloadable storage medium such as a hard disk (HD). This type of the karaoke apparatus can receive song data files from a host station through a telecommunication line, and can download the song data files into the reloadable storage medium. The karaoke apparatus of the musical tone synthesis type is provide therein with a tone generator which can generate or synthesize musical tones based on the song data file. In view of this, such a type of the karaoke apparatus is called "tone generating karaoke apparatus".
The tone generating karaoke apparatus is advantageous in that the stored song data files can be updated easily. Normally, an individual karaoke apparatus has a definite capacity of a storage medium so that a number of stored song data a files is limited. Therefore, a library of the stored song data files may not contain old karaoke songs which are rarely requested and new karaoke songs which are just released to public use. In such a case., the musical tone reproduction type of the karaoke apparatus must be supplied with a new permanent storage medium which records lacking song data files in order to present nonentry karaoke songs. However, a delivery of the new medium requires a certain time so that the karaoke apparatus cannot readily respond to the request of the nonentry song.
In contrast, the musical tone synthesis type of the karaoke apparatus can readily receive a song data file of a nonentry song from a host station through a telecommunication line. Therefore, the karaoke apparatus can always respond to a request by a karaoke player even though the karaoke apparatus does not store song data file of the requested song in the storage. However, the tone generating karaoke apparatus has the erasable storage of the song data files, composed of the reloadable memory medium. Therefore,, the stored song data files may be inadvertently, updated, or even worse, may be destructed inadvertently.